New art works reflects the history of Banff and its hospital

Banff Mineral Springs Hospital chapel is an area dedicated to spiritual care for all faiths.

A little bit of Banff history can also be found as part of the chapel’s legacy.

On Friday, 28 pieces of art, created by students from grades 8 through 12 of Banff Community High School were unveiled along the chapel’s windows as part of the Legacy Looking Glass project.

“This is definitely a first for us,” said Mineral Springs site administrator Shelley Buchan.

The wall art, which will be affixed to the windows, depicts pieces of Banff history.

The original drawings have been on display for the last six weeks along the hospital walls and have already drawn extremely positive comments, said hospital Chaplain Nancy Cowton.

“Banff Mineral Springs Hospital and the Sisters of St. Martha have had an incredibly strong and continuing relationship with the Town of Banff, residents of Banff, and residents of the Bow Valley corridor, so these are the kinds of things we hoped could be depicted,” said Cowton. “And they have been to one degree or another through the artists’ interpretation.

Some of the stories represented include showing the relationship with the community by the donation of food to feed the patients, coal to stoke the furnaces, the original relationship between the hospital and the mineral springs, encounters within the hospital with deer and bears, and many more true and fascinating stories.

The project was made possible through a Founding Sisters Legacy grant given to the hospital in 2016. The original grant was approved as a stained glass effect of the hospital’s history and the continuation of the legacy of the Sisters of St. Martha, which founded the hospital.

“While we initially thought of getting a stained glass panel and placing it in our chapel depicting a story from the past we felt some would understand that, but eventually it would just become a piece you would walk by,” said Buchan. “So, we began with thoughts of community, and the relationship with the sisters of St. Martha … and that history became our accountability to continue that mission of the sisters in our current hospital work.”

Buchan said it was important to make sure that the historic connection was not forgotten which sparked the idea of telling the stories through the students’ artistic and imaginative eyes.

“We are so pleased with the Legacy interpretations that were produced by these young artists,” said Buchan. “It will give an opportunity for those in our care to view them on an ongoing basis and if they having any questions they will get the story of the hospital’s rich history.”

The art display is to remain in perpetuity, with the hospital already working collaborating with the Banff Community High School on future like-minded projects.

Banff Mineral Springs Hospital is part of Covenant Health group of hospitals.